The lady who was standing there touched Lily's cheek and hair, 'Your father said you cried today. You didn't cry when you were born but your heart was beating so fast.'
She placed her hand on Lily's chest, 'Strangely enough, it has a steady pace now. What happened to you Siya?'
'Hmm?!' Lily tried to respond. "Is she talking to me?" Lily fell asleep.
'Are you feeling secure, Siya?' she saw Lily was sleeping holding Rose's fingers. The lady kept standing there for a long time before leaving.
1869…
Lily had grown used to many things by now. Like how the maids often whispered about her, calling her the odd one among the Ruan children. It had been two years since Lily had awakened to her past self—now living in this unfamiliar body.
"How strange," she muttered, touching her cheek. The sensation still felt foreign to her, as if she were wearing someone else's skin.
Long, jet-black hair framed her face, and ocean-blue eyes stared back at her from the mirror—a reflection that resembled her mother, Erlyien Ruan, almost perfectly. Her sister Rose, however, looked like their father, Tao Xin. Yet Lily couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't quite belong.
Though the twins didn't look alike, their bond remained unchanged. At heart, they were still the same as they had been in the past—inseparably close.
Now, they are known as Ruan Siya and Ruan Sayo.
As the second-born children of Ruan Erlyien,they will inherit the Ruan clan. Tradition dictated that the firstborn would inherit the father's family name and responsibilities and wealth, while the second-born would carry forward the mother's lineage and wealth.
Thus, the future of the Ruan clan rested with these two sisters. From what they had learned, Siya and Sayo came to understand one undeniable truth: they were not human.
Far from grasping the full complexities of their lineage, they clung to one word that defined their existence—Pureblood. At first, they couldn't comprehend what it truly meant. They refused to believe it.
Their reflections in the mirror seemed ordinary enough—human-like forms with skin, eyes, and expressions indistinguishable from those around them. But beneath that veneer was a well of power unlike anything they had ever imagined.
They were supernatural beings—Jinn.
They could feel it now, the energy coursing through their veins, ready to be wielded at their command. The fire that flickered in their palms obeyed their will, bending and reshaping itself with a single thought. Shadows moved when they spoke, light bent to their whims, and the air itself seemed to hum in their presence.
Yet these abilities came with questions that weighed heavily on their minds. Why were they born this way? What role were they meant to play in a world that saw them as human, when they were so much more?
Lily felt like she was in a dream.
'You are not.' Rose reminds her. Seeing her comment Lily discards the thoughts, 'How long are you gonna keep reading me?'
'As long as I wish.' Though Rose is not capable of controlling her powers fully yet,she has grown accustomed with the fact that she can read minds.
Lily was happy as she didn't have to describe to Rose how much she was grateful to have another chance.
Rose smiles.
Lily's heart feels content as the memories of 18 years old Lily was still there in this life. They now know, they are not normal. Jinns cannot read each other. They can just communicate among themselves through telepathy and they can only read what humans are thinking at the moment.
'Lily, doesn't that mean I'm abnormal!?' Rose asked Lily while closing the book that was on the floor. Even among Jinns, reading minds is not a skill that is welcomed.
'Whatever you are, Rose, you are my sister. That's what matters.' Lily smiles.
The crisp autumn air carried the scent of fallen leaves, mingling with the earthiness of the ancient European beech. Beneath its canopy,sat Erliyen and Tao Xin, their laughter weaving a warm counterpoint to the quietude of the landscape. For a while Lily, watching them, a knot tightened in her chest. She couldn't help the persistent thought that haunted her. The urgent need to understand the possible surviving method here. It was a phrase that echoed in her young mind, a whisper of future dangers she couldn't yet name, a terrifying possibility of losing this moment, this family, this fragile happiness. The serenity was achingly beautiful, precisely why the fear felt so sharp, a premonition that this perfect calm wouldn't last.
Beside her, Rose, her twin, seemed lost in her thoughts, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon where the sun began its slow, orange descent. Their thoughts, though separate, often mirrored each other, a silent language only they understood. Today, however, there was a deliberate separation in their focus, a private delving into something important.
"Rose," Lily's voice was soft, tinged with an urgency that belied her years. "We have to protect ourselves. So that we can protect our family."
Rose turned, a flicker of surprise, then recognition in her eyes. "How funny," she murmured, her voice equally low. "I was just thinking the same thing."
They fell silent again, the vast, peaceful landscape stretching out before them. The sun dipped lower, painting the sky in hues of rose and gold. They were deciding, in their own silent way, what they needed to be. Not just what they wanted, but what was necessary. This quiet introspection was a deliberate act. They had discovered early on that their minds were connected, their thoughts often merging unless they actively broke eye contact and focused inward, a small, private rebellion against their shared consciousness when solitude of thought was needed.
Their unusual silence didn't escape their parents' notice. The easy flow of their conversation faltered. A look of concern passed between Erliyen and Tao Xin. Their daughters, usually inseparable, a whirlwind of shared whispers and giggles, were unnaturally still which made them worried.